Program #L12—“The Theological Adventures of Johnny Lukewarm and Pastor Loophole: More Grace Loopholes (Cont’d)”
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Radio Show Transcript, © 2001, Persuade The
World Ministries, Gordon James Klingenschmitt, Servant. Copying
and distribution (without editing) is highly encouraged.
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<Many more transcripts and free MP3 radio shows CLICK HERE>
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Opening introduction by Mark
McWilliams…
Welcome and thank you for joining this radio
broadcast of Persuade The World Ministries. You’re
about to hear our radio production of the book written and taught
by Gordon James Klingenschmitt, entitled “License To Sin,
The Number One Reason America Is Losing Its Moral
Foundation.” If you call us in the next hour,
we’ll mail you a free cassette tape of today’s
broadcast, which you can copy and give to your friends. Just
call our toll-free phone number: 866-Obey-God. That’s
toll free, 1-866-O-B-E-Y-G-O-D. Gordon James Klingenschmitt
is a graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, and a
seminary graduate of Regent University, holding both M.B.A. and
Master of Divinity degrees. He’s also the founder and
servant of Persuade The World Ministries, a 501(c3) tax-exempt
religious non-profit corporation in Colorado Springs, dedicated
to persuading individuals in America and throughout the world to
forsake their sins and submit their hearts and minds to the
loving rulership of our Lord, Jesus Christ. And now with
today’s teaching, here is Gordon James Klingenschmitt.
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Thanks Mark. Today we continue our
mini-drama entitled “The Theological Adventures of Johnny
Lukewarm and Pastor Loophole.” You remember our
characters: Johnny Lukewarm is a non-Christian who calls himself
a Christian. He wants to go to heaven when he dies, but
doesn’t want to obey Jesus as the Lord of his life. So
he gets his advice from Pastor Loophole, who tells him everything
his itching ears want to hear.
(Higher) “Pastor Loophole,” says Johnny, “I’m very upset about this particular passage of scripture. It seems as though God is commanding me to do something I really don’t want to do. Do I really have to repent, and stop sinning, and obey God? Or is there some other alternative?
(Lower) “Why, certainly there is, Johnny Lukewarm, you just
relax. I can offer you dozens of alternatives, and give you
very logical reasons why you don’t have to obey God.”
(Higher) “Oh, thank goodness. For a minute there, I
thought I’d actually have to change my behavior and obey
God!” Johnny breathes a big sigh of relief. He
sits forward eagerly, with his itching ears searching for some
way of escape from the Holy Spirit’s conviction. But
the Spirit of God is grieved away, and He slowly withdraws his
conviction from Johnny’s life.
(Start) Now
let’s continue with Loophole #11, entitled “Perfect
love drives out fear.” So here’s Pastor Loophole
again.
(Lower) “You don’t have to fear God. In fact, the
Bible says, “perfect love drives out fear.”[1] So if you’re afraid of God, it’s
only because you don’t understand God’s perfect love
toward you. If you just realized how much God loves you,
you’d realize that God will never punish you, even while you
continue to enjoy your sins. And “God hath not
given us the spirit of fear…” [2] So anyone who tells you to fear God,
doesn’t understand the gospel. Fear does not come from
God.”
TIME OUT !! Let’s look at the scriptures everybody, and analyze Pastor Loophole’s advice. Let’s rightly divide the word of truth, and separate the truth from the lies in the advice given by Pastor Loophole. First, I want to acknowledge the true part. It’s true that Perfect love drives out fear. But the lie is that “perfect love” refers to God’s love toward you. Look this up for yourself in 1st John 4. When John says “perfect love drives out fear,” he’s not describing how much God loves you, so you don’t have to fear God, because God loves you now, even while you continue to enjoy your sins. In fact, he’s saying the opposite. He’s talking about the perfect love you’re supposed to have toward God! He’s saying that if you love God perfectly, then God won’t punish you, because you’re walking in perfect holiness. You can prove this, just by reading the preceding verses. It says, Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, [why?] because in this world we are like him.[3] You know, if you’re like Jesus in this world, and you love God perfectly, you’ll have confidence on the day of judgment, because God won’t be able to find any sin in your heart to punish. But if you don’t live your life like Jesus did, and you don’t love God perfectly with all your heart, and love is not made complete in your heart, be afraid. If you’re unholy, and your heart is full of sin and selfishness, fear God’s coming wrath. But if you’re holy, and you love God perfectly, you’ll have nothing to fear on the day of judgment. That’s how perfect love casts out fear. If you love God perfectly, you have nothing to fear. Now perfect selfishness attracts the wrath of God, but there is no fear in [perfect] love… Perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. If you love God with all your heart, you won’t be punished! But if you don’t love God, your guilty conscience will know deep down inside that God’s wrath is coming, so you’ll fear God’s coming judgment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. [4] So walk in perfect love! Love God perfectly! And you’ll have nothing to fear. That’s what 1st John 4 means. Read it for yourself.
Now it’s true
that God has not given us a spirit of fear. Jesus
told us not to fear other men. But then Jesus said, “I
will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who…has power
to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear
him.” Johnny Lukewarm, if you continue to enjoy
your sins, fear God. His wrath will destroy you in hell
unless you repent. The fear of the LORD is the beginning
of wisdom.[5] So,
continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling! [6]
Now let’s continue with loophole number 12, entitled, “You Can’t Earn Salvation, It’s a Free Gift…” Here’s Pastor Loophole again.
(Lower) “Now
Johnny, eternal salvation is a free gift from God, not a
payment for something you’ve earned. You can’t
earn your way into heaven by being holy, so God must not require
repentance or holiness for you to be saved, because He gives it
as a free gift. The Bible says, when a man works, his
wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation.[7] Now is God
obligated to pay you with eternal life, just because you’ve
earned it by being holy? No Johnny, holiness is completely
optional when it comes to salvation. Salvation is a free
gift given to unholy people. So you don’t have to
repent, or be holy, Johnny, and you can still go to heaven.
God forgives you, even while you continue to enjoy your sins.
TIME OUT !! Let’s look at the
scriptures everybody, and analyze Pastor Loophole’s advice.
First, I want to acknowledge the true part. It’s true
that holiness doesn’t help you earn salvation. And
it’s true that salvation is a free gift, given by God, even
when you don’t deserve it. But it’s a lie that
holiness is optional, and repentance is optional, and you can go
to heaven without holiness. It’s a lie that without
holiness, everyone can see the Lord. But here’s the
truth to replace those lies: Without holiness, no one will see
the Lord. Jesus said,“unless you repent, you
too will all perish.”
Holiness isn’t optional for salvation, just like genuine faith isn’t optional for salvation.
If you don’t change your heart, and submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, and love God with all your heart, you will not go to heaven.
Now it’s true
that holiness won’t help you earn salvation. And
you can’t buy eternal life, and pay for it with
holiness credits. God isn’t obligated to forgive you.
God gives His mercy as a free gift, even if we don’t deserve
it. But even if holiness doesn’t help you deserve
salvation, it’s still required. Just like faith
doesn’t merit your salvation for you, but it’s
still required. Now Martin Luther once said, “There is
no such thing as merit; but all who are justified are justified
gratis,”[8] or “for nothing, free of charge, on the
house.” But then Martin Luther also believed faith is
required for salvation. Now faith doesn’t earn
salvation for you, but it’s still required. And
holiness won’t earn salvation for you, but it’s
still required. Don’t let Pastor Loophole tell you
that repentance and holiness are optional, and you can be saved
without being holy. No, the Bible says, Without
holiness, no one will see the Lord.
Just imagine if the
governor of Texas had the power to grant full clemency, or a
total pardon, or absolute mercy to a death row inmate who’s
about to be executed. Now just imagine if the guilty man,
on his way to be executed, appeared before the governor of Texas,
and got down on his knees, and said, “I’m so sorry,
I’ll never do it again, please forgive me. Please
don’t sentence me to death. My heart has changed.
I promise I’ll never do it again. Please grant me a
pardon and set me free.” Now you might question his
sincerity, but even if he really sincerely repented, and he was
really, really sorry, does that mean he suddenly deserves
to be forgiven? Did his repentance earn him the right
to be forgiven? No way! Now is the governor of Texas
suddenly obligated to grant him a pardon, and commute his
sentence? No way! If the governor decides to grant a
pardon at this point, it would only be out of the goodness of his
heart, as a freely given gift, not because the man deserves
forgiveness.
Now picture a different scenario. Imagine if a death-row inmate, on his way to be executed, appeared before the Governor of Texas, and said, “I’m not sorry at all. In fact, I enjoyed committing that crime, and if you set me free, I’d probably do it again.” Do you think the Governor of Texas would pardon him then? Can you imagine the governor saying, “Well, he’s not sorry, and his heart isn’t changed, but I’m going to forgive him anyway. I’m going to commute his death sentence, and set him free. Take off those handcuffs, and let him go free.” No way! Even the most liberal governor in America wouldn’t pardon a prisoner like that, while the prisoner’s heart is unchanged and unrepentant, while he continues to enjoy what he did.
God won’t be obligated to pardon you. He may forgive
you if He desires, but even then it’s only out of the
goodness of His heart. He’d pardon you as a free gift,
not because you deserve to be forgiven. But then again, if
your heart isn’t really changed, and you’re thinking,
“I’m not that sorry at all. I enjoyed those sins,
and I’d like to enjoy them again,” then God won’t
even think about granting you a pardon. If you continue to
enjoy your sins, God will never forgive you.
Let’s stop for a moment, and pray. Would you take a
moment to pray with me? Pray these words along with me, to
God. Go ahead and say them out loud. “Father in
heaven. I plead with you, to have mercy on me, a sinner.
God, I’m so sorry for my sins. I hate my sins. Please
forgive me. Right now, I change my heart. I
don’t want to do those sins anymore. I really mean it.
I’ll never do it again, especially that one sin that
you’re convicting me of, right now. God, please
forgive me, and come and change my heart right now. God,
come and rule my heart forever. I choose to love you, and
hate my sins. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.”
Did you just pray with me? If you just prayed with me,
would you just raise your hand? Wherever you are, if
you’re in your house, or in your car, or in front of other
people, it’s OK. Just raise your right hand up to God,
as a sign that you just prayed with me and gave your heart back
to God. God sees your heart. Did you mean what you
just prayed? I know you did. Now if you just prayed
with me, I’d like to ask you to write to me and get a copy
of this book you’re hearing me teach from. Here’s
Mark with that information.
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Middle segment by Mark McWilliams…
Thanks Gordon. He’ll be back in just a moment. But first, do you know somebody who needs to hear today’s message? If you call our toll-free number in the next hour, 866-Obey-God, we’ll mail you a free cassette tape of today’s broadcast, which you can copy and give to your friends. All our tapes are copyable and free, but please remember we need your donations to stay on the air and to give away these free tapes. So please pray and obey, then send us your best possible donation, after you receive your free cassette. (Gordon: Hey time out! If it’s your first time calling us, no donation is required! Just call us!) Our toll free number is 866-Obey-God, that’s 1-866-O-B-E-Y-G-O-D. And please specify you’re requesting today’s program. Do you believe America needs to hear these messages? If so, then we need you to sponsor us, by joining the Persuader’s Club with a monthly pledge of just $15. If you join the Persuader’s Club, we’ll also send you an autographed copy of Gordon’s book that you’ve been hearing. Just visit our web-site at persuaders-club.com. Or call us in the next hour at 866-Obey-God. Right now, let’s return to Gordon James Klingenschmitt.
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Thanks again, Mark. Now let’s
continue with Loophole #13, entitled, “Gospel means
‘good news’, not ‘bad news’” So
here’s Pastor Loophole again.
(Lower)
“Johnny, the word ‘gospel’ means ‘good
news,’ not bad news. And if we have to be holy in
order to be saved, that’s not good news—that’s bad
news. So anyone who preaches that holiness is required for
salvation is not preaching the gospel. The good news means
God forgives you even while you continue to enjoy your sins.
Isn’t that great news? But if anyone thinks you have
to be holy to be saved, they just don’t understand the
gospel.”
TIME OUT !! Let’s look at the
scriptures everybody, and analyze Pastor Loophole’s advice.
First, I want to acknowledge the true part. It’s true
that the word ‘Gospel’ means ‘good news.’
But it’s a lie that holiness is ‘bad news.’ Here’s
the good news: Jesus can set you free from your deadly sins!
This is the greatest news ever spoken in the universe! When
Pastor Loophole thinks that sanctification is bad news, and
getting set free from your deadly sins is bad news, that just
proves how much he loves his sins! He hates the idea of
getting rid of his sins. He feels sad when he thinks of
letting go of his sins. But not true believers. True
Christians rejoice when God sets them free from their deadly
sins. True Christians hate their sins, and they’re
glad to see them go. They celebrate when God sets them free
from that bondage to sin! Jesus said, The Spirit of the
Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good
news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom
for the prisoners…to release the oppressed…[9] Thank God, I’ve been freed from my prison
and oppression. Holiness isn’t bad news, it’s the
greatest news of all time! Holiness and the gospel are one
and the same message!
Now here’s Loophole #14, entitled,
“past, present, and future.”
(Lower) “Oh, the mercy of God!” Pastor Loophole
continues, “Jesus shed his blood on the cross for us, once
for all eternity. He paid for all the sins of all time,
past, present, and future. So if your past, present, and
future sins are covered by his atoning sacrifice, then don’t
worry about the sins you committed in the past, they’re
covered, even if you don’t repent for them. And
don’t worry about your present sins, they’re covered
too, even if you’re enjoying them right now! And even
if you sin for the rest of your life until you die, Jesus paid
for all your future sins too. You don’t need to
repent, or persevere in holiness until the end, no, Jesus paid
for your all your sins, past, present, and future, even while you
continue to enjoy them.”
TIME OUT !! Let’s look at the
scriptures everybody, and analyze Pastor Loophole’s advice.
First, I want to acknowledge the true part. It’s true
that when Jesus died on the cross, at that one moment in history,
he paid for the sins of all time, past, present and future.
But it’s a lie that His sacrifice on the cross covers those
past sins that you haven’t yet repented of. And
it’s a lie that Jesus paid for those present sins you
continue to embrace. And it’s a lie that he paid for
all those future sins you’re scheming and planning to enjoy!
The truth is that God does not forgive those sins which you
continue to enjoy. If you don’t repent, and forsake
your known sins, and hate them, the sacrifice Jesus made on the
cross doesn’t apply to you.
You know, everybody’s quick to point to the cross, but God would rather have your obedience. What’s better, for you to sin aggressively and point to the cross, or for you to obey God and not have sins which need forgiving in the first place? Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.[10] God doesn’t want you to keep on sinning and pointing to the cross, and sinning and pointing to the cross. God would rather you just obey him, and not sin in the first place, and not need so much atonement, and not need so much forgiveness! God would rather you live a life of love and compassion, instead of being selfish and pointing to Christ’s sacrifice. “I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice,”[11] says the Lord. “Go and learn what this means. I desire compassion, and not a sacrifice.”
No, if you continue
to enjoy your sins, then the blood Jesus shed on the cross does
not apply to you. The Bible says in Hebrews 10, “If
we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the
knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a
fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will
consume the enemies of God.”[12] Read that for yourself in Hebrews 10.
There is no sacrifice left for those who deliberately keep on
sinning. When you continue to enjoy your sins, it’s like
trampling the blood Jesus shed on the cross under your feet. How
much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who
has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an
unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him.[13]
The cross does not apply to those sins you continue to embrace.
It didn’t apply to them in the past, it doesn’t apply
to them today; it will not apply to them tomorrow. Your
past sins are only covered if you confess them to God and
renounce them.[14] Your present sins
are only covered if you immediately forsake them! And your
future sins are most easily covered, if you determine in your
heart, right now, that you’ll never commit them in the first
place!
Just imagine if this one single loophole was removed from
American theology. Imagine if every Christian in America
suddenly realized, that Jesus didn’t pay for those sins we
continue to enjoy. Imagine if everybody suddenly realized
that God’s doesn’t forgive people who continue to love
their sins. What a holy fear of God would sweep through
their hearts. What sudden agitation and anguish they’d
feel. How they’d fret and perspire and pace back and
forth nervously, as they fully realized, “My sins, my sins,
they’ll destroy me!” What holy terror would fill
their hearts, as they imagine their very real, and soon coming
fate—eternal torment in the fires of hell. How
they’d search and search for an escape from that torment,
but alas there would be none. Except, of course,
repentance.
“Ah, there it is!” their face would brighten. “My
escape from the clutches of hell! I must immediately change
my behavior. I must thoroughly examine my heart, and change
my every desire, to love God instead of selfishness. I must
inventory my life with a fine-toothed comb, confessing each and
every sin to God, leaving no stone unturned. I must purge
my heart of every ounce of rebellion to God’s rulership.
And I must remain faithful until the day I die, or I’ll
surely perish!” What a revival of holiness would sweep
across this nation. What an irresistible wave of obedience
would crash from shore to shore. Can you see the
thundering, pounding footsteps of God’s authority taking
hold in the hearts of men, the kingdom of God forcefully and
violently marching into the hearts of every man, woman, and child
in our nation? All the blinders would immediately fall from
our eyes. People everywhere would have no option but to
radically choose holiness. Suddenly the Church would look
very different from the rest of the world. Can you even
imagine it? I can. It’s coming. There’s
a holiness revolution coming to the Church in America, but not
until we purge all the loopholes out of our theology, and we
forsake this silly notion that God forgives our sins, even while
we continue to enjoy them. This is the message that can
bring revival to our land: God does not forgive those sins which
you continue to enjoy. Say that out loud with me: God
does not forgive those sins which I continue to enjoy.
Will you help us preach that message? I pray you’ll
write to us and get a copy of this book you’re hearing me
teach from. You can even use our book to lead small groups,
since we have discussion questions at the end of every chapter.
Or get this tape and copy it give it to your friends. In
our book and in our future broadcasts, we’ll answer the
questions you may have about faith versus works or eternal
security, and you’ll hear more theological adventures of
Johnny Lukewarm and Pastor Loophole. So I hope you’ll
write us and tune in again next time. Now I love you, and I
care about you. So here’s Mark with more information.
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Closing trailer by Mark McWilliams…
Thanks Gordon, and thanks everybody for listening. Do you know somebody who needs to hear today’s message? If you call our toll-free number in the next hour, 866-Obey-God, we’ll mail you a free cassette tape of today’s broadcast, which you can copy and give to your friends. All our tapes are copyable and free, but please remember that we need your donations to stay on the air and to give away these free tapes. So please pray and obey God about how much these teachings are worth to you, and return to us your best possible gift after you receive your free cassette. (Gordon: Hey time out! If it’s your first time contacting us, no donation is required! Just call us!) Our toll free number is 866-Obey-God, that’s 1-866-O-B-E-Y-G-O-D, and please specify you’re requesting today’s program. Now do you believe America needs to hear these messages? If so, we’re specifically asking you to join the Persuader’s Club, and to sponsor this radio broadcast with a monthly pledge of just $15. If you join the Persuader’s Club as a monthly partner, we’ll send you an autographed copy of the book you’ve been hearing, written and taught by Gordon James Klingenschmitt, entitled, “License To Sin, The Number One Reason America Is Losing Its Moral Foundation.” Just visit our web-site at persuaders-club.com. That’s persuaders-club.com. It’s the monthly donations of our Persuader’s Club partners who keep this program on the air. Now if you have comments or questions about today’s broadcast, you can email us at “persuadetheworld@yahoo.com,” Or you can write to us. Or you can always call us toll free, at 866-Obey-God. And if you remember, please tell us the call sign of the radio station you’re listening to. May God bless you, and thank you for supporting Persuade The World Ministries. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.
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<Many more transcripts and free MP3 radio shows CLICK HERE>
[1] 1 John 4:18 (NIV)
[2] 2 Tim 1:7 (KJV) Note Paul is encouraging Timothy to have more confidence in ministry, not encouraging Timothy to reject the fear of God.
[3] 1 John 4:16-17 (NIV)
[4] 1 John 4:18 (NIV)
[5] Proverbs 9:10 (NIV)
[6] Phil 2:12 (NIV)
[7] Romans 4:4 (NIV)
[8] R.C. Sproul, Faith Alone, (Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI, 1995)
p. 151.
[9] Luke 4:18-19 (NIV)
[10] 1 Sam 15:22 (NIV)
[11] Matt 12:7 (NAS)
[12] Hebrews 10:27-28 (NIV)
[13] Hebrews 10:29-31 (NIV)
[14] See 1 John 1:9